


By Morning I'll Be Gone

by softashton



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: And it comes back to haunt him, Ashton has a shady past which Luke doesn't know about, M/M, lots of ambiguity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-28 01:23:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2713778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softashton/pseuds/softashton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Ash, what’s going on?” Luke whispered, fear evident in his voice.<br/>“They’ve come for me” Ashton replied as he opened the wardrobe door and pulled aside the various shirts and jackets hanging up, revealing a removable panel in the wall.<br/>“Who’s come, Ash? I’m scared”.<br/>“My past”.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By Morning I'll Be Gone

**Author's Note:**

> I thought I would try something a little different while I get Red Walls sorted out. I think the concept's kinda cool and I like the ambiguity of the whole thing, but I guess I'll let you guys be the judge of that.

“ _Get up_ ” Ashton hissed while shaking Luke. It had been a stupid mistake to let that reporter use his picture, even if he was only in the background of the shot.  _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._ After all this time, Ashton had allowed himself to become complacent, and now it could cost him everything.

“Wha-“ Luke said far too loudly, before Ashton clamped a hand over his mouth.

“ _Shh_.  _You have to get up_ ”.

Even in his half-asleep daze, Luke could hear the terror in Ashton’s voice and silently complied, letting his partner pull him out of bed. Luke shivered as his bare feet came into contact with the hardwood floor.

 

Ashton silently opened the bedroom door, cautiously poking his head out to ensure there was nobody there. The faintest glow of moonlight filtered through the skylight, offering very little help in terms of visibility. But that suited Ashton just fine – if he couldn’t see, then other people sure as hell couldn’t either. In his own home, he had the advantage. Once he was satisfied there was no immediate threat out on the landing, Ashton grabbed hold of Luke’s arm again and pulled him towards the spare bedroom. Luke’s safety had to come first. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if anything happened to him.

 

As Ashton was about to open the door, he heard a thump from downstairs. He knew from the way Luke had tensed up that he had heard it too. There was no time for caution anymore, it was too late. They were inside. They would sweep downstairs first, but it would only be a matter of time before they came upstairs.

Ashton silently cursed as he opened the door and pulled Luke towards the built-in wardrobe.

“Ash, what’s going on?” Luke whispered, fear evident in his voice.

“They’ve come for me” Ashton replied as he opened the wardrobe door and pulled aside the various shirts and jackets hanging up, revealing a removable panel in the wall.

“Who’s come, Ash? I’m scared”.

“My past”.

 

Ashton took off the panel, revealing a passage in the wall big enough to crawl through.

“Luke, you have to get in there. There’s enough food and water for a few days if you ration it, and a makeshift toilet-“

“What the fuck’s going on?” Luke interrupted.

“I’m so sorry, Luke. I should never have let myself open up to you, when I knew this might happen.” Another bang came from downstairs, and they could hear voices now. “ _Please, please_ just get inside”.

“But what about you?” Luke asked concernedly.

Ashton smiled and shook his head, “I need to deal with them”.

“I love you, Ash” Luke said with watery eyes.

“Love you too, Luke.” Ashton gave Luke a quick kiss on the lips, distraught that this might be the last time he would see Luke. “Now get inside. Stay until the rations have run out, and then stay for as much longer as you can. No matter what you hear,  _do not_  come out, and don’t make a sound”. Luke let out a small sob as he began crawling into the passage. “I love you” Ashton whispered as he replaced the panel in the wall and put the clothes back into place, leaving Luke alone and terrified in the dark.

 

Ashton closed the doors behind him before hurrying back into his and Luke’s bedroom. He knelt down in front of the clothes drawers, before pulling the bottom drawer open and feeling about for his lifeline. Just as Ashton got his hand on the familiar metal object, he heard a  _click_  as a revolver was primed and put against his head.

“Hands up, Irwin.”

Ashton shuddered as he heard the painfully familiar voice. Like his own, the voice had matured with time, but there was no mistaking who it belonged to. This was a voice Ashton had hoped,  _prayed_  never to hear again. He had wished that voice would stay in the past, but Ashton had no such luck. People like him didn’t get their wishes granted.

 

Luke hadn’t been in the secret room for long, but he already felt the overwhelming urge to get out. The sound was slightly muffled from where he was, but he could still make out the banging and crashing, as well as the sound of voices. There were people in their home, and Luke was in this room while Ashton was out there. He had already worried himself sick with the thought of what he might find once he left the room, and he wanted nothing more than to leave. But, Ashton had told him to stay inside. Ashton obviously knew who these people were, so Luke had to trust what little information Ashton had given him.

 

*** _BANG***_

A black silence consumed the house for a moment. Luke swiftly brought a hand up to his mouth as tears began streaming down his face. His mind was going into overdrive and it was difficult to breathe.  _Pleasebeokaypleasebeokaypleasebeokay_ Luke prayed. The cacophony of banging and crashing started up once again and Luke brought his knees up to his chest, rocking back and forth on the spot. He just wanted it to stop. He wanted Ashton to be okay. He  _needed_ Ashton to be okay.

 

\---

 

Luke didn’t know how much time had passed. It might have been a few hours, or it might have been a few days. There was no way to tell until he got out of the hidden room. He had spent the time thinking, worrying and falling into restless sleep. He had eaten and drank as little as possible to make the rations last longer, but he had finished them. His throat was overly dry, he was lightheaded and his stomach was aching. He had stayed in the room for as long as he could, but he had to get out.

 

He crawled back along the passage and removed the panel from the inside, before climbing out and opening the wardrobe door. It was unbearably bright, and he had to blink and shield his eyes because he had been in the dark for so long. Once his eyes had adjusted, Luke felt the panic and fear wash over him again. The room had been completely torn apart – every drawer had been emptied, things were smashed and broken, and some of the furniture had been tipped over.

 

Luke crept out onto the landing, still wary that there could possibly still be someone in the house. That was when he saw his bedroom door was hanging off the hinges. He cautiously pushed past the door and into the room, and was nearly sick because of what he saw. There was a pool of blood in front of the clothes drawers. There was some spattering on the walls, as well as on the floor. When he looked closely, Luke could see drops of blood leading back out of the bedroom. He followed the trail downstairs, oblivious to the surrounding destruction. Downstairs was an even bigger mess than upstairs - every drawer and cupboard was emptied, the contents smashed, the furniture broken and overturned. Luke walked over to the front door, entranced by the thinning trail of blood. He opened the door, and saw that was where the trail stopped. From outside, everything looked normal. It was only when you got inside that you saw the devastation within. 

 

The severity of what had happened finally hit Luke. Ashton was gone.


End file.
